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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Poor animals.., September 17, 2008
This review is from: Duck (DVD)
I'm referring to both the duck (who really makes out rather well since his owner goes to such length to care for him) AND the old gentleman who was left bereaved and bereft.
I can see where folks think the film is uplifting, but I found it quite depressing, and, unfortunately, all too accurate. There are plenty of homeless people who will relate to the circumstances which resulted in both 'animals' being left to the 'mercy' of the wide world. And there are plenty of predator animals in the landfill they found themselves in. Not in a beautiful garden, or even in an area where social services can help the destitute, but they have to survive under the grimmest conditions.
Yet the human animal (great acting and good scripting, by the way) cares for the non-human animal with great loyalty and optimism. The former would have made a wonderful, indulgent grandfather if life had been kinder and had kept his beloved wife and son alive. Its a sad film, but very worthwhile viewing.
And next time we are sitting in our car reading a hand-drawn begging sign from a homeless person on the center island of the roadway, give them a smile and a buck, will you?
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bittersweet tail, August 11, 2008
This review is from: Duck (DVD)
DUCK is a really bittersweet movie. I bought it after seeing the trailer and because my family and I own two white Peking ducks whom we rescued as ducklings. The movie does a great job at portraying just how much personality ducks have and how they can be great lovable companions when exposed to humans early on.
The story about poor Arthur is heart-breaking and is the reason I gave this movie a 4. I cried through half the movie, partly because it reminded me of my own ducks but mostly because more bad than good happened to Arthur and his duck, Joe. I wish there would have been some happier moments in the movie so I wasn't crying the whole time (although there were several lighthearted moments during certain conversations Arthur had with Joe or when Joe would do something cute). It is a fairly depressing movie, although there is a decent happy ending (it could have been happier, but it seems to be enough for Arthur and Joe). I do still wish more good things happened to Arthur because it was sad to see him trying to keep himself and Joe going while others made it even more difficult for him and at times were downright cruel.
If you are an animal lover or want to see a rare type of storyline, watch this movie. You will see how animals - in this case ducks - can bring a lot of joy and love to the lives of humans and get a glimpse into how ducks who are attached to humans can be. But, be prepared with tissues!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This movie will make you lose all faith in the human race., March 29, 2010
This review is from: Duck (DVD)
I had the highest expectations. As both an animal lover (who actually rescues ducks & seagulls) and a socially conscious person, I thought this would be an inspirational, uplifting story to watch at the end of the day.
Boy was I wrong. This movie is a one-way ticket to bitterness. The entire human race is presented as a parade of a-holes. It comes across like a cynical, paranoid, hateful pity-party that mocks everything and everyone. Note to director: In the real world, firefighters are not all jerks. Police officers are not all angry whiteboys. Construction workers, animal control officers and bus drivers are not all bloodthirsty predators who take pleasure in abusing animals. I can't help but feel sorry for anyone who lives in such an angry world as this with such a distorted vision of reality.
I'm not sure what the director was trying to accomplish. This movie doesn't carry any hope at all. It merely spreads anger, fear, cynicism, mistrust and hatred of all human beings. I'll be the first to say that human being suck and we need to change the system, but I don't need to reinforce my frustration by watching a crudely-imagined fiction depicting an endless string of insults heaped on a feeble old man.
By the way, I don't care for the way they mishandled the duck during production. I'd like to shove the director in a toilet and vomit on *her*. See how she'd like a movie about that.
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